Novel LED lighting ‘enables extra harvest per year’ at US horticulture facility

20 Feb 2023

ams Osram and Revolution Microelectronics partner on illumination system at GreenCare Collective’s farm in Milbury, Mass.

Avici “state-of-the-art” agricultural lighting system.

ams Osram has announced a new horticulture lighting collaboration using its Oslon Square platform and Oslon SSL LEDs in partnership with the US-based controlled agriculture environment designer Revolution Microelectronics.

Oslon Square, the high-compact power LED, and Oslon SSL LEDs are powering Avici, described as a state-of-the-art horticulture lighting system.

Manufactured by Revolution Microelectronics, this system is lighting up GreenCare Collective’s 9,200 square meter horticulture facility in Millbury, Massachusetts.

Using a combination of 1W and 2W LED packages from ams Osram’s horticulture LED portfolio, GreenCare Collective’s advanced facility utilizes seasonal programmable spectrum controls and cutting-edge crop steering techniques to create a perpetual harvest methodology so efficient that it can produce an entire extra harvest of plants each year.

The Oslon Square GH CSSRM5.24 offers a radiant flux of 1068 mW at 77% WPE and a photon flux of 5.83 µmol/s at an efficacy of 4.19 µmol/J at 700 mA. The ams Osram announcement states, “A high light output and a programmable spectrum allows horticulturists to focus in on the specific phytochemical development and boost yield and increase terpene development.”

Lighting system integrates ams Osram’s Oslon Square platform and SSL LEDs.

It adds, “The efficacy advantages of our LEDs compared to traditional High Pressure Sodium lights makes the switch from mercury-filled light bulbs to environmentally-friendly LEDs also an ethical and economical option.”

The new lighting approach suits the advanced horticulture production at the Millbury facility, which begins with in-house tissue culture propagation and the streamlined work-flow that moves plants to mobile tables.

An on-demand fertigation system manages multiple different strains with 24 zones per room, giving precise and customised dosages of essential nutrients to produce top-of-the-line agricultural products.

And Revolution Microelectronics notes, “The Avici system was recognized for its innovative gardening solution in the International Solid State Lighting Alliance’s top 100 outstanding innovations of 2022.

Greencare Collective states that it has developed a world-class, 100,000-square-foot facility that combines the best practices of cannabis cultivation with commercial agriculture techniques: “We source the most desirable genetics, curated a select group of top-tier brands, invested in industry-leading equipment and technology, assembled an experienced team, and adopted the most rigorous standards in the market.”